Some random thoughts on leadership.

Working in a huge district such as I do, it is really difficult to make any kind of impact much beyond my immediate school. I have tried over the years to affect certain changes, by finding out the appropriate people in charge and respectfully submitting suggestions, only to see them sink like stones never to be heard from again. So I have had to learn to curb my frustration at not being able to make system wide changes, and do what I can where I am placed.

As a teacher, I have watched science teaching change over the seventeen years of my career. When I began (as a 3^rd grade generalist), I was given a set of reading and math texts, and when I asked what to do about science and social studies, I was told to look around my classroom to see what books were lying about and use them. A rather cavalier attitude toward the subject, I thought. Then a few years in, we were given a lock-step curriculum. (On this day, you will be teaching this…) which at least gave everybody the same materials to work with, but heaven forbid you fell out of step with the pacing. The students had better “get it” on the first try, or else!

Finally, this year, we were granted a bit of autonomy, because our school is not in “corrective action” (though it will be if they students don’t make AYP…). So I FINALLY was able to make a change this year. I taught my seventh grade students evolution for the first time. The district timeline has us skip that chapter in the book! But I just couldn't face myself sending them off to high school without that in their background knowledge locker. Thank goodness my principal was on my side on this point.

Maybe this sounds like a small thing, but to me, it was a big victory. The other day, my husband was joking with me about what I will do with my free time now that my time at Walden is coming to an end. I think perhaps I will finally have time to put some action behind the things
I have learned about leadership and social advocacy and maybe put myself out there and LEAD? 

Effecting Change at School Level

How can one teacher effect change at school level or beyond? This is an interesting concept to ponder and one that is difficult to achieve in today's climate. Unfortunately, with the current emphasis on reading and math due to the need to receive passing scores on high stakes testing; the "other" subjects tend to fall by the wayside. 

Two weeks ago, my school held a whole school science fair. At that point, the other teachers seemed to rediscover my value and contributions to the school, as everyone came to me for tips and materials. That was fine, and I was pleased to see the overall quality of the projects the classes produced; but I feel as if I have been put back on the shelf again until next year. 

I don't feel that the other teachers downplay the importance of science, they just lack the time to properly devote to it with all the other things that are constantly being put on their plate. 

My district used to have full time "coaches" who came out to help science teachers implement inquiry lessons. Those positions were all cut several years ago. There also used to be specialized professional development on Saturdays including topics for science teachers. Those were also cut. It has become nearly impossible to buy replacement materials for the lab kits, and so on. Is it no wonder that the students don't see science as "important" when the schools apparently don't? 

But this is one of the challenges of working in an impoverished district.  I've noted over the years that our focus seems to be very short sighted, but of course our leaders are responding to public perception. 

For me, what this means is all I can do it to continue to speak up and advocate for science education at the building level; and hope for better days to come. 

A Sputnik for the 21st Century

Having read Thomas Friedman's Op-Ed piece "What's Our Sputnik?" took me back to my own childhood, since I was born a scant two years after the launch of Sputnik. I was raised during the Cold War, when Americans were afraid that any letdown in science education might lead to finding Soviet soldiers on the doorstep at any moment. 

Today, we are much more complacent, in some ways and less so in others. Friedman notes that we are a nation obsessed with "the war on terror", and that we are spending a lot of our intellectual and fiscal capital fighting this "war" (Friedman, 2010).  He believes that this is the current times' "Sputnik", and makes a case that perhaps instead America should be focusing on our competition with China (Friedman, 2010). 

While he makes a good case, I'd like to propose a different "Sputnik" for the 21st century: the development of practical hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative energy source for automobiles. There simply has to be a way to make that work, and think of the energy independence we could gain from foreign oil suppliers. 

Right now, I know that it's "just not possible", but of course no one would have thought we could have made it to the moon by 1969 when that first satellite was launched, now would they? 

Reference

Friedman, T. L. (2010, Jan 17). What's our sputnik? New York Times. Retrieved from     

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